My New Bling.....

....my finishers medal for the Boise 70.3. Wow what an afternoon! The Boise 70.3 started at 2pm in the afternoon. The planners did this with hopes to have an exciting finish around the dinner hour. I did not see it in person, cuz I was still on the course, but is was an exciting finish between Craig Alexander and Chris Lieto. I saw the very close finish the next morning on the news and it was amazing.

The temperature was perfect for any race, however there was a 70% chance of rain. A 2pm start in Boise could mean that it would be a very hot day, however it was an unusual day in June and the heat did not provide an obstable for athletes.

So I ask myself am I a Triathlete or Endurance athlete? Perhaps both?

I starting training for this journey last Fall, but really started training hard in January of 2009. As I reflect back to my training....what was I thinking that I would do a Half IronMan? I really should have had at least 12 months of training before I tried to conquer the distance of 70.3. In addition, I should have done at least a sprint or olympic distance before moving to the 70.3. The problem is that I set goals for myself and I usually achieve my goals. Not only am I motivated, but also very stubborn. No one was going to tell me that I was not going to do this race. I was doing it!! Heck I registered for the race last December and told myself then that I was finishing!!! FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION!

I accomplished my goal of finishing. Having no other triathlon to compare to, that was the most obvious goal. I had an idea about where I should finish, but still had never participated in a triathlon and did not know how the afternoon would play out. In TRI-HIVE, a paper for some of the western states there is an excellent section called Couch to Triathlon and there is a paragraph that states the following: Remember: DFL>DNF>DNS. This means that finishing "dead-freaking last" (DFL) is better than " did not finish" (DNF) is better than "did not start" (DNS). I was pretty close to "dead-freaking last" but I finished!

I have really enjoyed the journey to completing my first triathlon and plan to continue my training. I am currently planning on doing an olympic distance on August 1st in McCall, Idaho. I will push myself a little harder and improve my times. I know my slow twitch fibers are working. I was out on the course for the same amount of time that an elite athlete is out for a full length IronMan. I am slow and steady. My new goal is to see if I can work on recruiting those fast twitch fibers.

So the answer to my question is both....I am not only an endurance athlete, but also now a TRIATHLETE!

FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION!!!!